By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief)
IZUNWANNE, a body of senior journalists from the South East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, has condemned, in strong terms, the wanton violence that has suddenly engulfed the South East and the South South geo-political zones of the country, and call for the return of peace in the area.
The group in a joint statement on Tuesday by its Chairman, Sir Abuchi Anueyiagu and Secretary, Elder Ngwoke Ngwoke, also strongly condemned the attacks on government agencies and assets, as well as the killing of security personnel by yet be identified gunmen operating in the zones, insisting that such wanton acts of violence should stop.
IZUNWANNE totally deplored the attendant indiscriminate killing of innocent persons by the security agencies in the South East zone, in the guise of going after the arsonists and destroyers of public facilities in the area.
The group stated that it is unacceptable to the South East region, the situation in Owerri, the Imo State capital, where security agents allegedly go after mass arrests of youths indiscriminately in churches and in their families homes, and called for immediate end to such perceived acts of intimidation, harassment and victimization.
IZUNWANNE therefore pleads with President Muhammadu Buhari to cool his temper as the father of the nation, and to hurriedly take urgent executive steps to restrain the law enforcement operatives in the zone from taking advantage of his "shoot at sight" order on bandits and criminal elements only, to engage in careless shooting of innocent persons and many vulnerable persons in both South East and South South zones of the country, as is currently the case in the two zones.
According to IZUNWANNE, "such approach can never bring peace but would rather compound issues, lead to intimidation, suppression and coercion". The elite media group however argued that "there are other better and legal ways available to government to responsibly bring about peace and tranquility in the zones than the present path which the security forces are taking".
The statement further emphasised that the body of senior journalists of Igbo extraction "support a UNITED Nigeria, where equity, justice and fair play are the principles that should govern the co-existence of all peoples of the country. No organisation linked with violence should be associated with Ndi Igbo as a people.
"Ndigbo are not in support of any group of persons who have taken to violence under whatever name or guise. The Igbo are a peace-loving, enterprising people, who sojourn and live everywhere in Nigeria and have investments there. We will never, as a people, support or resort to using violence as a means of settling issues with anyone. Igbos, wherever they are found outside their homelands, always live in peace with their hosts".
IZUNWANNE specifically pointed out that" Ndigbo do not support the killing of security forces and burning of public and private properties by unknown gunmen on one hand and the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians by enraged security personnel on the other hand, in the South East geo-political zone".
The Igbo Senior Journalists association however called on the parties involved to refrain from engaging in such atrocities against the lives of the innocent Igbos and their private and public properties. NNL.